The transition from adolescence to adulthood can be challenging. This easy-to‑read guide on “how to succeed” as a young adult provides hands‑on tools for building emotional awareness and psychological skills to successfully navigate early adulthood.

Written by experts in clinical psychology, this transformational book provides a contextual background and a specific, proactive plan to prepare young adults to become independent from their primary caregivers as they enter adulthood. Detailed yet accessible, this book explores essential topics from a psychological perspective, including decision‑making, goal‑setting, identifying strengths and weaknesses, managing distress and “successful failures,” understanding social connections and expectations, and how to use your unique skills to your advantage. Real‑life examples are presented to illustrate how to work through potential problems young adults face when entering independent life, with additional activities, exercises, and questionnaires to aid in learning and development.

This book is an ideal resource for young adults looking to equip themselves with the skills to tackle the transition into adulthood. It is also a helpful guide for parents and caregivers, as well as mental health professionals who work with adolescents, teens, and young adults.

Johanna Kaplan, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and director of the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill (WACCH) in Washington, DC.

Anna Villavicencio, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist at the Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill (WACCH). She is an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Psychology at Catholic University of America, where she teaches classes in psychological disorders and adult psychopathology.

Lediya Dumessa, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist at Washington Anxiety Center of Capitol Hill (WACCH). She is a graduate research assistant in Resilience and Regulation Lab at Mississippi State University